A jiggly jing jok tail!

Day 97 (Saturday):

We've had an excellent and relaxing weekend!  After all the ant wars and being sick this week, it was so nice to enjoy the weekend!  I made a new recipe that I saw on Facebook, I think someone pinned it on pinterest. Anyway,  you take slices of white bread, roll them flat with a rolling pin, fill them with cream cheese/powdered sugar filling, then dip them in butter and cinnamon/sugar.  Bake for 20 minutes. These were so easy, and even better than anticipated.  I halved the recipe, and wished I'd doubled it, but at least I can console myself with the fact that if I'd made that many, I would have eaten that many and I'd be as big as a barn.  Kees called them "cinnamon buns" and he's already asking for more.  Next Sunday is the baking class day, so we're going to make these!

This was a great treat for little helping hands!  Kees spread the cream cheese, I rolled them up, then he dipped them in the butter, then sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Hot out of the oven. You must make these, you will not be disappointed.

Pi Tone and Pa Eiw came to visit while Doug was outside with the kids washing the truck.  I was in the house and no one even told me they stopped by.  Then I saw they had posted this picture on Facebook, sad I missed them!

In the evening Kees and I got a wild hair and decided to make a run to Tesco (a small convenient store).  Before we left we were gathering up our stuff, going to the bathroom and what not, when I saw a jing jok (lizard) in the door jam as Kees was closing the door.  I did my best to not overreact, but guess what happened?  That lizard's tail got stuck and AFTER it detached from it's body it was wiggling around, and then the tail-less lizard ran under the door into the bedroom. NOT. COOL.

I asked Kees to take a picture of the lizard (before it ran under the door, obviously), and he didn't want to, so he took this picture.

Apparently these cotton balls are non-threatening.

At Tesco, I bough ice, realized they hadn't given it to me, and walked right back to ask for it back.  I'm really proud of myself because I don't like doing that sort of thing in English in my home country.  But it came naturally and I'm thankful that Doug is often encouraging me to do stuff like this. Not that he was with me, but when he does that, he usually tells, "You can do it!  It'll be good practice." And while I mostly don't appreciate that, especially when he puts me on the spot in front of people, I appreciate his thought behind it and his faith me.  I often get down on myself and wish I could speak Thai better, but when stuff like this happens and I think where I was a year ago, I can't help but smile at how far God has brought me! :)

On our way home from shopping, I was being sweet to Kees, telling him how happy I am that he's my boy and that I love him SO much.  He replied by saying, "Yeah, I love you too, but could you be quiet, I'm trying to look out the window at all the stuff."


Day 98 (Sunday):

Does anyone remember how rough my Sunday was last week?  Well, this week was SO much better!  Still hot, even though it's rainy season and it's cooled down quite a bit.  I'm still a fat foreign sweaty pig every single week at church. I sit in the back with the kids where there are no fans.  I should really get an old school fan and just fan myself!  The kids were pretty good, Kora tests the limits every week and we have to keep re-establishing them. She spends a good chunk of time edging closer and closer to the door and looking at me to see if I'm watching. 

There were a lot of people at church today, and some new visitors.

Kees made a stool out of this tiny container.

Then he used this comb as a knife.  He's pretty resourceful.

He's getting so big, and he needs a hair cut.

Kora looking in the mirror.

Playing with a jump rope.

Look how close her hand is to the concrete.

Wish we had some books! Don't worry, he always shares.  I lose the mothering contest, my poor kids have to play with combs and tiny buckets, while other kids have trains and books and snacks.  I did bring Kees's connecty blocks, but I didn't have a snack for Kora and wished I did.

One of Luke's books we borrowed.

Kora resting.  It's hard work getting told "NO" 20 times for trying to run up to the stage.

Today was a special day. Our pastor kept saying how fun it was because we had Laap.  When Doug's pastor friends eat this at their Tuesday morning meeting they get so geeked out and giddy about it.  Guess what it is?  It's stomach bile, blood, liver, other various intestines, plus pepper and spices.  It's often served raw, the stomach bile allegedly kills the bacteria.  Let me start by saying, it really doesn't taste gross at all, but the color is strange and I know what is.  Therefore, I can't get passed it, and I just skip this portion of the meal. Doug eats it, but that's not saying much. Doug is a trooper and eats all kinds of oddities I wouldn't touch. Today's laap was cooked, but I still just tasted it.  There was another soup, and rice of course.  They also made some scrambled pork meat, that tasted like hamburger helper for the kids and I ate some of theirs.

Making laap. We brought pencils back from Phuket and we were handing them out while they were making lunch.  I was glad I got this picture! :)

Doug should really get paid by Apple. He's always telling people about apps we use and how great the iphone has been for studying.  We have an awesome Thai app that we use ALL THE TIME.  (I also use the converter app a lot to convert measurements and money)

Thai version of the kids table. They had a view of the TV too!

Cooked laap.

The soup I ate.

Doug brought me and the kids home and then went back for the bible study they are doing.  The kids and I took a nice Sunday afternoon nap, but I had a slight headache that rapidly turned into a full blown sinus pressure face hurting mega headache.  I have some pseudophedrine that Grandma Sheryl brought last time she visited.  I hoard that stuff.  It works wonders for my headaches, but sometimes I know I need it, but skip taking it because I like to save it for when I have other things I need to do or if I know we are going to be going somewhere.  I was planning to go shopping when Doug got back from his study, so I took some, and it worked! Yay! 

Doug at the study.

I did all my beginning of the month shopping. Stocking up on a bunch of stuff.  I went to two stores.  By the time I was checking out at the second store I was weirdly jittery and felt all ramped up.  Not sure if my blood sugar was low and I needed to eat or if the medicine was affecting me.  I also felt sick to my stomach, but just because I spend so much at the beginning of the month and I hate spending money.  I was thinking, I guess I could have waited a couple of days before I went to the second store, so it wouldn't feel like so much all at once, but in the end it would have been the same amount of money I just saved on gas and getting out in the heat.

Over $30 for pecans!  And a special thank you to my Daddy for sending me some.

Tomorrow will be major cleaning day!  Saturday our wardrobe finally got fixed, so I need to move all our clothes back into it. And I've been wanting to purge to get ready for a garage sale we're participating in near the end of July.  I also still need to divide my cheese into little baggies, but I didn't get home from shopping until 8:30 and after unloading everything and finally getting dinner, I just didn't feel up to it.  It'll wait. :)

Happy Sunday everybody!